Aculeococcus Lepage, 1941

Hodgson, Chris & Miller, Dug, 2010, A Review of the Eriococcid Genera (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Coccoidea) of South America 2459, Zootaxa 2459 (1), pp. 1-101 : 8

Aculeococcus Lepage

Aculeococcus Lepage, 1941: 141 . Type species Aculeococcus morrisoni Lepage, 1941: 141–145 .

Generic diagnosis. Adult female ( Fig. 3 ). Induces elongate, pointed, conical galls on upper surface of leaves of host plant. Body approximately pear-shaped, venter becoming highly swollen anteriorly. Dorsum. Heavily sclerotised, forming a diamond-shaped area, which includes anterior part of head. Dorsal setae of 2 types: setose setae on thoracic and anterior abdominal segments, and strongly spinose setae on more posterior abdominal segments. Macrotubular ducts absent. Microtubular ducts probably present on abdominal segments II – IV. Loculate pores, each with 5 loculi, in broad bands across abdominal segments III – VII. Anal lobes forming rounded posterior edges to abdomen, with spinose setae. Anal ring with 6 setae. Margin. Indicated by edge of sclerotisation. Venter. Setae hairlike. Macrotubular ducts absent. Microtubular ducts very small with 8-shaped pore, sparse. Loculate pores as on dorsum, located near labium and each spiracle. Cruciform pores absent. Antennae 1 segmented, located on anterior end of sclerotised dorsum. Frontal lobes and antennal tubercles absent. Mouthparts with a pair of large apodemes arising from tentorial box in old specimens. Legs weakly developed; segmentation obscure; metacoxae large and heavily sclerotised; without translucent pores. Vulva not detected .

South American hosts unknown.

Comment. Aculeococcus currently includes 2 species, the type species from Brazil and A. yongpingensis Tang & Hao from Yunnan Province, China. We have examined specimens of both species and they appear to be congeneric. Lepage (1941) compared the adult females of A. morrisoni with those of Calycicoccus merwei Brain from South Africa, (recently redescribed by Gullan et al. (2006)). Whilst there are some superficial similarities, these 2 genera are clearly quite different and the similarities were considered to be convergent by Beardsley (1984) and Gullan et al. (2006). Adult females of C. merwei have none of the characters states of A. morrisoni listed below.

Adult females of Aculeococcus differ from all other eriococcid genera considered here in having the following combination of characters: (i) mouthparts with large apodemes arising from the tentorial box – although these may be absent or poorly developed in youngest adults and probably expand with age (also found in Carpochloroides and Tectococcus ); (ii) heavily sclerotized, diamond-shaped area, mainly dorsal but also including antennae and eyes, (and which probably serves as a plug for the gall opening); (iii) greatly reduced legs; (iv) hind 2 pairs of legs and posterior spiracles separated from front legs and anterior spiracles by considerable distance; and (v) hind coxae greatly enlarged.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Aculeococcus morrisoni Lepage. Adult female, where B = ventral microtubular duct; G = dorsal view of abdomen; H = ventral view of abdomen; L = ventral loculate pore; P = posterior spiracle; Q = mouthparts with associated apodeme; W = metathoracic leg, and Y = head area showing antennae and eyespot.